Pea-grader.



PATENTBD AUG. 7, 1906 J. "H. EMPSON.

PEA GRADER.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. s, 1905.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

fl k 5.

Inventor Emma Z722 on THE NORRIS PETERS co., WASHINGTUN, D. C

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN HOWARD EMPSON, OF LONGM-ONT, COLOR-ADO.

PEA-GRADER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 7, 1906.

Amma {1195 March 8, 1905. Serial No. 249,043.

sorted in several sizes.

Various types of apparatus designed to accomplish the general purpose of the present improvements are already known in the art. The devices hitherto employed have, however, displayed certain defects which are remedied by the present invention. For example, it has been the common practice in assorting and grading peas to separate the smaller peas from the general mass before separating any other sizes. With this method it has been found practicably impossible to remove from the general mass all of the smallest peas, since many of them are carried on to the next step in the assortment by the impetus of the mass containing the larger sizes, thus resulting in a serious loss, since the smaller sizes of the peas possess a greater value on account of their superior tenderness and succulency. By means of the present improved grader the larger sizes are removed first, while the smallest peas are among the last to be separated. Each step in the assortment is effected accurately, all of the larger sizes of peas being isolated during the first stages of the operation, so that at the final stage all the peas smaller than a certain size. are retained in a group by themselves, no material number of themhaving been lost from this group during the preceding stages.

The invention will be described herein in connection with a grader which is designed to assort a mass of peas in five different sizes.

All discussion of possible modifications will be omitted until the specific mechanism has been described.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation, partly in section, of the improved peagrader. Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the same. Fig. 3 is a side elevation, partly in section, of a convenient form of a pea-conveying apron. Fig. 4 is a cross-section along the line 4 4 of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a perspective showing a form of conveying-apron also shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

proper speed of rotation of The principal grading or assorting instrumentalities are the three rotating hollow drums A, B, and C, superimposed one above the other in the order named, their longitudinal axes being inclined somewhat to the horizontal. For convenience these drums may be called the primary drum, the intermediate drum, and the finishingfdrum, these names being applied, respectively, to drums A, B, and G. The shells of the drums A and B are perforated, the apertures in each drum being of uniform size, those in the uper drum A being larger than those of drum The shell of the drum C is also perforated, the apertures in the first-acting half being ofguniform size and smaller than the apertures in its-last-acting half. The relative sizes of the perforations in the several drums are conventionally represented in Fig. 1. These drums A, B, and C are equipped with end spiders, through which run centrallydisposed shafts a, whereby the rotation of the drum may be effected. These drums may be of any convenient construction, their inner surfaces being preferably free from inwardly-projecting parts and obstructions in order that the progress of the peas down the inclined inner surface of a drum may suffer no interruption. As shown herewith, these drums are cylindrical in form and consist of shells conveniently made of sheet metal and strengthened by encircling bands 0. end of each drum there are spokes d, which, with their encircling band, constitute a spider through which passes the shaft (1, fixedthereto. The shafts a are conveniently journaled in the framework 1) of the grader, and each of said shafts may be supplied with a pulley rigid therewith, through which power may be applied to the rotation of the drums. The the drums will depend somewhat upon circumstances; in general a slow rate of rotation is to be preferred.

The remaining parts of the grader may best be. described in connection with the operation of the machine. A mass of shelled At each A I but peas, consisting of various sizes, is introduced the peas which leave peas are carried upward some distance in the direction of rotatlon of the drum, the mass being thereby distributed throughout the lower area of the interior of the drum in a substantially thin layer. This distribution of the peas in a thin layer is of importance, since it allows the peas easy access to the perforations in the shell of the drum. .As the drum rotates the peas are carried upwardly for a short distance and then fall back again into the bottom of the drum, the centrifugal force being insuflicient, by reason of the slow rotation of the drum, to carry the peas all the way around. In this manner the peas are rolled over and over, coming several times in contact with the inner surface of the shell of the drum, and thereby having repeated access to the perforations therein. The perforations in the drum A are the largest in the grader and are slightly less in diameter than the peas of the largest size desired to be isolated. It is obvious that all the peas except those of largest size will pass through the erforations in the'shell of the drum. The V0 umeof peas within thedrum decreases as the peas approach the discharge end, and thereby the remaining peas are afiorded still easier access to the perforations. The peripheral travel of the peas occasioned by the rotation of the drum and the lengthwise travel of the peas as they roll through the drum brings the peas so thoroughly into association with the perforations in the drum-shell that it is highly improbable that even a single pea small enough to pass through a erforation willcreach the discharge end of t e drum. The drum discharges the largest grade of peas through its open discharge end into a hopper f, which is supplied with a chute leading to any desired point. The above-described operation accomplishes the isolation of all the peas which are too large to pass through the perforations in the drum A. V

The peas of all the smaller sizes when they have passed through the perforations in the first drum fall upon the converging guides These guides D consist of plates disposed longitudinally parallel to the axis of the drum and are arranged in the form of a bottomless trough having downwardly-sloping converging sides. This bottomless trough is closed at the end adjacent to the discharge end of the drum by a transversely-disposed plate E, which contributes'to confine the travel of the peas to a limited path which leads them onto a conveyer. The plate E and the guides D are collectively converging. The guides D extend throughout the length of the drum and are spaced apart'at their upper edges a distance somewhat greater than the diameter of the drum, so as to insure their catching all the drum through its perforations. At their lower edges the guides D are spaced apart a slightly less distance than the width of a conveying-apron F.

The conveying-apron F consists of an endless traveling belt positively moved in the direction indicated by the arrows in Fig. 1. Cylindrical pulleys are supplied about which the belt moves and at either or both of which the desired motive power may be applied. This belt is preferably equipped with exterior parallel flanges h, positioned near its edges and extending throughout the length of the belt, said flanges serving to prevent the peas from escaping over the sides of the belt. These flanges are arranged to be expansible, as by being made of rubber, Fig. 5, to allow for the necessary increase of length in passing around the cylindrical pulleys. When the peas fall through the perforations in the drum, they are conducted by the converging guides D to the conveying-apron F, upon the upper run of which they fall. The convey ing-apron traveling in the direction indicated by the arrow in Fig. 1 conveys the peas to the feed-hopper i of the drum B, the apron carrying the peas forward until they fall away therefrom as it passes around its pulley. The peas fall into the feed-hopper & and pass through a chute into the feed end of the drum B. The perforations in the shell of the drum B are of such diameter as to permit the passage therethrough of all the'peas below a certain size, which size is intermediate that of the larger peas isolated by the drum A and the smaller peas subsequently to be isolated by the drum C. The process of separating" this second size of peas from the general mass in drum B is similar to that which has al-" ready been explained with reference to drum A. Those peas retained in drum B, and thereby separated from the mass, are discharged at the open discharge end of the drum into the hopper 7', which hopper is provided with a chute to convey the second grade of peas to a desired point. The peas which have passed through the perforations in the shell of drum B fall upon converging guides 'G, similar to the guides D, which conduct'the peas to the conveying-apron H, which is substantially like the conveying-apron F and which operates in a similar manner to carry the peas to the feed-hopper 7c of the drum (1. From the feed-hopper 7c the remaining mass of peas passes into the feed end of the drum 0. In this drum the perforations in the first-acting half of the shell are of such diameter as to permit the passage of the smallest grade only of the peas. Such peas as escape from the drum through these perforations are caught in the hopper Z, whence they pass into a chute. The next larger grade ofpeas escape through the perforations in the lastacting half of the drum and are received in the hopper m. Such peas as will not pass through any of the perforations in the drum C pass through the discharge end of the drum into the hopper n, off through a chute.

IIO

It is quite evident from the above description that the mass of peas originally introduced to drum A are assorted in five different sizes. The largest grade of peas is isolated by drum A, the second rade by drum B, the third grade is discharged at the discharge end of drum C, the fourth grade is discharged into the hopper m, and the fifth grade into the hopper Z.

The feed end of each drum is equipped with a frusto-conical funnel n, attached by its larger base to the end of the drum. The chutes of the feed-hoppers e, i, and 7c project into the smaller ends of these funnels n (see Fig. 1) and discharge the peas thereinto. The peas roll down the lower sloping area of each funnel, and thereby enter the interior of a drum. In this manner the peas are fed from a stationary hopper into a moving drum in a very simple manner, and the escape of the peas by rolling back through the feed end of the drum is prevented.

The above-described devices may be changed in various ways without removing them from the proper field of this invention. For example, it is obvious that instead of inclinin the drums to the horizontal they could ie given a frusto-conical form, disposed so that the lower areas of their interiors would slope downward toward the discharge end of the drum. This would effect the object for which the drums are inclined, as shown herewith.

Instead of providing the eXpansible flanges of the conveying-aprons, Fig. 5, the upper run of each apron could be made to pass through a trough H, Figs. 3 and 4, which has vertical upwardly-extending sides spaced apart a sufficient distance to permit the apron to pass easily between them without allowing room enough for the peas to fall off the apron into the trough. Each apron might be provided with upwardly-projecting flights g, Figs. 3 and 51, arranged transversely thereof, which insure the proper progress of the peas in the desired direction. The vertical sides of the trough should extend upwardly somewhat beyond the fli hts g. The trough H extends as far as possi ble throughout the length of the converging guides D between the pulleys about whichthe conveying-apron moves.

All such modifications as are suggested above are to be construed as coming within the scope of this invention as it is defined in the subjoined claims.

I claim as my invention- 1. A pea-grader having, in combination, a perforated drum for isolating a large size of peas; a second perforated drum for isolating a smaller size of peas; and means whereby peas issuing from the perforations in the first drum are conveyed therefrom into the interior of the second drum, said means comprising a plurality of downwardly-converging guides, including longitudinal guides and a transverse guide, positioned beneath the first drum with their upper edges sufficiently spaced apart to embrace the paths of all peas issuing from the perforations of the first drum, and their lower edges spaced apart a slight distance so that the guides form collectively a bottomless trough inclosed upon three sides, the transverse guide being positioned near the discharge end of the first drum, an endless traveling-apron extending entirely beneath the space intervening between the lower edges of the guides, the travel of said apron being in a direction parallel to the longitudinal guides with its upper run moving from the discharge end of the first drum toward its feed end, a trough, through which moves the upper run of the apron, having u wardly-extending sides which are space apart enough to permit the apron to pass therethrough. but not enough to permit peas to roll off the apron, said trough extending throughout the entire length of the longitudinal guides and beyond the transverse guide, and embracing the lower edges of the longitudinal guides between its upwardlyeXtending sides, and a hopper into which the upper run of the apron discharges said hopper having communication with the interior of the second drum.

2. A pea-grader having, in combination, a perforated drum for isolating one size of peas, a second perforated drum for isolating another size of peas, and means whereby peas issuing from the perforations in the first drum are conveyed therefrom into the second drum, said means comprising longitudinallyeXtending converging guide-plates, a transverse guide-plate uniting said longitudinal plates at one end thereof, a chute or hopper at the forward end of the second drum, an endless traveling conveyer re istering with the slot or outlet between said guide-plates, to receive the peas therefrom and to convey thesame to said chute or hopper, said conveyer having vertical side strips of considerable height coacting with said guide-plates to confine the peas, and a chute from the first drum back of the transverse guide-plate aforesaid.

In witness whereof I have hereunto signed my name in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOHN HOWARD EMPSON.. Witnesses:

GEORGE O. PIERCE, GEORGE E. SMITH. 

